PHILADELPHIA – The grind of the collegiate wrestling season was on full display as Penn went 2-1 over three EIWA dual meets on home mats, picking up their first wins at home this season to improve to 7-4 in dual meets and 4-2 in EIWA competition.
 
The Red and Blue opened the day with a 24-14 win over Bucknell and capped the day with a convincing 31-16 victory over Franklin & Marshall. The middle match of the day was a 19-18 loss to Binghamton in a dual which hung in the balance until the final seconds of the final bout.
 
May Bethea had 16 takedowns over his three wins, leading a group of Quakers who went 3-0 over the trio of dual meets. Bethea was joined by Gianni Ghione, Joe Oliva and Frank Mattiace as Quakers who swept through the day's action.
 
No. 18 Bethea had a technical fall and major decision as part of his day. No. 10 Frank Mattiace had a pin – his eighth of the season – and a major decision to improve to 20-3 this season.
 
How It Happened vs. Bucknell

• The Quakers never trailed in the dual meet, building a 15-3 lead at halftime and sealing the dual meet with back-to-back wins at 149 and 157 to close the dual.
• Both of Penn's ranked wrestlers picked up bonus points in the first half of the meet to help stake the lead. No. 18 May Bethea scored a technical fall over DJ Hollingshead before No. 10 Frank Mattiace picked up a 17-5 major decision.
• Bethea had six takedowns and two sets of four-point nearfall in his win. Mattiace had seven takedowns in his win.
• Tyler Hall's 5-2 decision win at heavyweight was his first career dual meet win in The Palestra.
• Comeback wins from Joe Heyob and Joe Oliva ensured the team dual meet win. At 184, Heyob spotted Drew Phipps a 4-2 lead after the first period but rallied to tie the match at 5-5 after two. In the third, he scored his second takedown of the match and would win, 8-7, via his two minutes of riding time.
• With his team ahead by just four points and two matches to go, Oliva secured the dual meet with a decision win over Seth Hogue. A back and forth match was decided by a two-point turn from Oliva in the third period.

Penn Defeats Bucknell, 24-14
165: No. 18 May Bethea (Penn) TF DJ Hollingshead (Bucknell), 20-5 (6:44), Penn leads, 5-0
174: Nik Stephani (Bucknell) DEC Quinton Hiles (Penn), 11-4, Penn leads, 5-3
184: Joe Heyob (Penn) DEC Drew Phipps (Bucknell), 8-7, Penn leads, 8-3
197: No. 10 Frank Mattiace (Penn) MD Chad Reese (Bucknell), 17-5 Penn leads, 12-3
285: Tyler Hall (Penn) DEC Brandon Stokes (Bucknell), 5-1 Penn leads, 15-3
125: Geo Barzona (Bucknell) win via forfeit Penn leads, 15-9
133: Gianni Ghione (Penn) DEC David Campbell (Bucknell), 4-2 Penn leads, 18-9
141: No. 15 Tyler Smith (Bucknell) TF Jake Lizak (Penn), 26-11 (6:21), Penn leads, 18-14
149: Joe Oliva (Penn) DEC Seth Hogue (Bucknell), 6-4 Penn leads 21-14
157: Joe Velliquette (Penn) DEC Andrew Millsap (Bucknell), 9-2
 
How It Happened vs. Binghamton

• There were seven lead changes in the dual meet, including a lead change after each of the final five bouts.
• No team led by more than five points.
• Each team had a six-point win – Penn getting a pin from No. 10 Frank Mattiace and Binghamton receiving a forfeit at 125 pounds. Each team picked up five wins total, the deciding point a major decision from Binghamton's Anthony Lombardo at 174.
• Penn led, 18-16, after nine bouts. At 157, Binghamton's Tristan Riffanburg scored an 8-4 decision to give the Bearcats the win. He picked up four nearfall in the second period to erase a 2-0 Joe Velliquette lead. Velliquette was very close to a takedown midway through the second, but video review was not enough to overturn the call on the mat. Velliquette did get a takedown with 0:14 remaining to close within one point but after cutting his opponent loose he was unable to find a second before conceding a meaningless takedown at the buzzer.
• A score at the buzzer that was full of meaning was No. 10 Frank Mattiace's pin with one second left on the clock.
• Mattiace now has eight pins this season – tied for No. 9 all-time in a season by a Quaker.
• May Bethea, picked up a crucial win over a wrestler ranked inside the NCAA Coaches Panel with an 8-4 decision over Vincent DePrez. Bethea broke open a 3-3 tie in the third with an escape and then two takedowns in the final 35 seconds.
• Tyler Hall scored two backpoints in the second period and added a reversal in the third for a 7-3 decision at heavyweight.
• Gianni Ghione put up six points in the first period with a takedown and four backpoints to defeat Jake Nicholson, 7-2, at 133.
• Jake Lizak fell, 11-7, at 141, but did his part for the team late in his bout with a takedown and two nearfall in the final 10 seconds to only concede the decision.
• For the second match in a row, Joe Oliva rallied for a win. He trailed, 4-3, after two periods before he scored an escape early in the third and added a takedown and two nearfall in the buzzer for an 8-4 decision over Frank Garcia.

Binghamton Defeats Penn, 19-18
165: No. 18 May Bethea (Penn) DEC Vincent DePrez (Binghamton), 8-4, Penn leads, 3-0
174: Anthony Lombardo (Binghamton) MD Quinton Hiles (Penn), 14-2, Binghamton leads, 4-3
184: No. 14 Steven Schneider (Binghamton) DEC Joe Heyob (Penn), 3-1, Binghamton leads, 7-3
197: No. 10 Frank Mattiace (Penn) FALL Alex Melikian (Binghamton), 6:59, Penn leads, 9-7
285: Tyler Hall (Penn) DEC Sean Dee (Binghamton), 7-3, Penn leads, 12-7
125: Joe Nelson (Binghamton) win via forfeit, Binghamton leads, 13-12
133: Gianni Ghione (Penn) DEC Jake Nicholson (Binghamton), 7-2, Penn leads, 15-13
141: Joe Russ (Binghamton) DEC Jake Lizak (Penn), 11-7, Binghamton leads, 16-15
149: Joe Oliva (Penn) DEC Frank Garcia (Binghamton), 8-4, Penn leads, 18-16
157: Tristan Rifanburg (Binghamton) DEC Joe Velliquette (Penn), 8-4 Binghamton leads, 19-18
 
How It Happened vs. Franklin & Marshall

• Penn never trailed in the dual as May Bethea won to open a dual for the third time in the day. Bethea had seven takedowns on his way to a 17-5 major decision.
• All three wrestlers named Joe scored a pinfall in the dual meet, accounting for 18 of Penn's 31 points.
• Joe Heyob had scored three takedowns and added two backpoints in the first period before working a pin early in the second period over Steven Mercadante.
• Joe Oliva also had three takedowns in his match before pinning Sam Butler from neutral in the third period.
• Joe Oliva scored on a knee pick and turned it into a cradle to pin Emmett LiCastri with one second left in the first period to close the dual.
• The Quakers won three of the final four bouts to pull away, turning a 16-12 lead into the 31-16 final score. 

Penn Defeats Franklin & Marshall, 31-16
165: No. 18 May Bethea (Penn) MD Jake Conners (F&M), 17-5, Penn leads, 4-0
174: Josh Young (F&M) DEC Quinton Hiles (Penn), 6-0, Penn leads, 4-3
184: Joe Heyob (Penn) FALL Steven Mercadante (F&M), 4:23, Penn leads, 10-3
197: No. 10 Frank Mattiace (Penn) wins via forfeit, Penn leads, 16-3
285: Antonio Pelusi (F&M) DEC Tyler Hall (Penn), 6-2, Penn leads, 16-6
125: Edgar Garcia (F&M) wins via forfeit, Penn leads, 16-12
133: Gianni Ghione (Penn) DEC Dan Martoccio (F&M). 6-0, Penn leads, 19-12
141: Brett Kulp (F&M) MD Tristin DeVincenzo (Penn), 14-4, Penn leads, 19-16
149: Joe Oliva (Penn) FALL Sam Butler (F&M), 5:28, Penn leads, 25-16
157: Joe Velliquette (Penn) FALL Emmett LiCastri (F&M), 2:59, Penn leads, 31-16
 
Penn returns to action on February 3, with a pair of dual meets at Brown (12 p.m.) and Harvard (6 p.m.)
 
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